PASTEUR2030
A look back at Postdoc Appreciation Week
Unlearning the Perfect Career: Rethinking Success, Failure & Finding Your Own Path
PAW Week brought together Charlotte Romanet, Adrian Liston, Marion Rouault and Élodie Chabrol for a roundtable exploring a question that arises at different stages of every career: is there really a "right" career path?
The conversation, led by two moderators, Camille Vaganay and Elizabeth Maloney, challenged the idea that successful careers are linear, and explored confidence, failure and setbacks, career pivots, uncertainty, comparison and changing life priorities. Drawing on their different experiences across research, industry and science communication, the speakers shared personal stories of unexpected turns, moments of doubt and decisions made without having all the answers.
A thoughtful conversation about rethinking success, learning from detours, and finding a career path that feels like your own.
Missed it during PAW, or want to revisit the conversation? You can watch the recording here.
PAW Pitch Competition
Science doesn't stop at the lab: sharing research in a clear, engaging and accessible way helps spark curiosity, build understanding, and connect science with a wider audience.
During PAW, the Pitch Competition put science communication in the spotlight: five finalists had just a few minutes to bring their research to life for both the jury and the audience.
The three judges, Élodie Chabrol, Adrian Liston and Baptiste Arnaud, brought their expertise in science communication, research and public engagement to the challenge. The five finalists each delivered a creative and compelling pitch:
• Nour Mesto — Can we turn down the brain's craving for junk food?
• Lucas Chataigner — When One Letter Changes a Genetic Recipe
• Mathilde Dura — The One Who Became Multicellular
• Maria Dalla Pozza — Sugar Can Make It Stronger
• Renée Zakhia — A Novel and Eco-Friendly Strategy to Limit Mosquito-Borne Diseases
With both the jury and the public voting, it was a particularly exciting competition and Maria Dalla Pozza took home both prizes! 🏆
Congratulations to Maria, the other finalists, and everyone who took part. And a big thank you to the judges and the audience for helping make science communication such a great part of PAW.
Missed the competition, or want to watch the pitches again? You can find the recording here.
Publish or Pivot: The Healthy Detours on Your Scientific Pathway
During PAW, Adrian Liston invited the audience to rethink the idea that there is only one way to build a successful scientific career. In his keynote, "Publish or Pivot," he explored the value of non-linear career paths, encouraging researchers to think beyond a single Plan A and to build options for a Plan B and Plan C along the way.
Drawing on his own experience and his work on strategic career building, Adrian highlighted how exploring different opportunities early on can make career transitions easier and how the skills and experiences gained through unexpected detours can become valuable assets rather than gaps in a CV.
A timely reminder that a career pivot isn't necessarily a failure or a step backwards; it can be part of building a more flexible, diverse and intentional career.
And there was much more to PAW!
The week also showcased some of the initiatives already being created by and for the postdoc community. During the symposium introduction, the teams behind the Big Questions Lunch and Paris Postdoc Seminars presented their initiatives — two great examples of postdocs coming together to create spaces for scientific exchange, discussion and community.
Two workshops also offered the chance to reflect on the road ahead: one led by CARE, with Morgane Grand and Fériel Mekki, as well as a workshop with Anastasiya Safati from APEC, offering practical tools and perspectives for navigating careers and professional development.